That Winter night, she should had slapped him in the face.
"So cold..." The blue haired girl exhaled, hands locked onto her upper arms, rubbing them the best as she could as she ran through the empty neighbourhood—ever so persistent on outrunning the falling snow.
Aoi know that the wise decision here is to go back, to beg for Akane to let her stay and spend the night there, or search for a shelter, o-or something! But no, her politeness ultimately won through and throw logic out the window. She doesn't have the heart to be a guest this late at night. She also does not want to burden her senior any longer with her presence, so she left, venturing abandoned streets and dirty alleyway in this dark, freezing, unforgiving, winter night.
Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration on her part, true. But still, it proved her point that this was a bad ide-...
—She tripped.
Aoi yelped, not having the time to balance her figure and she fall unwantedly face first to the ground. But fortunately for her, her landing was cushioned sofly by the thick snow in the area, making her caked to the inside of her jacket.
"The fuck...?!"
A slur. A hiccup. And a sneeze. It defintely did not come from her and it makes Aoi's blood run cold.
She looks back.
A middle-age man soon become the center of her attention. His long legs was the reason on why she tripped in the first place. He appear to be sleeping, drunk beyond belief. His appearance was dishevelled with a red neck tie tied onto his head, in his drunken state stupidly fallen asleep in this cold night by leaning over an electric pole.
But now, he's very much awake, googling the young girl on the floor with a tongue out.
"My, my, my... hic! What... do we have... here...?" The man slurred and walks on his knees, purring dirtily, reaching out for her.
Aoi slapped the incoming hand, flinching, having a bad feeling about everything and try to stood, rejecting his advance and making a run for it. But she'd moves too late, the man lurched and had gotten a hold of her right leg.
"Uwah!" The drunk bastard pulled, pulled hard and she slipped. Her short skirt that is not weather friendly was ripped by the sound of it and the man pinned her harshly to the ground, making her squirm uncontrollably. The snow didn't help at all; its only contribution is to inject her exposed skin with an icy syringe.
How unlucky can I be? her lips quivered.
The man showed her a toothy grin, he spoke again and the stink of alcohol came through. "Where... hic! You think... you're going? Man, ...hic! You're... smooth... so smooth..."
Aoi stiffened, words choked in her throat as she felt two calloused hands slithered its way onto her thighs. In desperation, she tried to push him off of her, she really does! But her pinned body won't cooperate, leaving her helpless. She can't even scream, her mouth won't move no matter how hard she wished for it to and she hated it. She hated the way her body shook so uselessly, she hated this man for making a move on her, she hated the snow that prevent any sane person on leaving their house and helps her, and she hated herself for having the guts to even go out this late at night.
It's all her damn fault and no one would object to it and defend her.
A tear spilled out from her blue eyes. She bites her bottom lips.
Somebody... somebody please, help me.
"Wha-what the hell? Hic! Heya, buddy...! What'cha doing there...? Who are ya'-...?!"
Duak! A ball suddenly swoosh in and smacked him square on the face. He was rendered to silent. Aoi even saw a tooth fall out and the man's nose was bleeding pretty severely, running like a waterfall. There's no doubt in anyone's minds that it was broken to fault.
She gasped, not believing her eyes. The bluenette quickly squirmed away, witnessing the man timbering to the side, fainting yet again. But this time it was for a completely different reason than the first.
"Hmhp, disgusting."
Surprised, Aoi glanced to her side, finding a boy around her age with a soccer ball on his feet. He looked shady if she had to be honest, wearing all black in the middle of the night. The boy's hair was slicked back, the same shade as the night, and his golden eyes was oddly gleaming.
Gleaming at her.
He snorted. "You're stupid. Very stupid."
And with a click of his tongue, he leave her be. Dribbling the ball along the way. He honestly left her gaping. Gaping stupidly at his back.
"Stupid?" She muttered to herself, disbelieving. "I'm stupid?!"
—Dismissing that Winter, all she wanted to do was to thank him. Regardless of petty grudges.
Spring breeze was suppose to be refreshing, she found it irking.
"Huh? Wha-...? Okay, okay! Slow down, Tenma, slow down! Strawberry, was it? 'Kay, I have it! Don't worry. Wait, I think I forgot the onigiris. Ow, Ten! Ahaha, I'm just kidding! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Giggling, Sorano Aoi stroll through the park with several white plastic bags clutched in one hand. The other was holding her phone as she chatted quite animatedly to the person on the other side, not paying any heed of attention to the peoples around here, stuck in her own little world.
The young girl was in the middle of grocery shopping when she received a call. It was from Tenma, her childhood friend, asking her if she have the time to met up with him in the park, like, this exact time. Even though she was confused, she obliged, doing what she was told and buying some necessary stuff that is, "Important," said Tenma.
Because the objects that was requested was all food and quick meals, Aoi suspected that her friend was focused on some rigid soccer training he made up on his own, fuelled with determination and pushing himself to the limit, as usual. Seeing how obsessed he was with the sport though, Aoi was not surprised. Just very worried, that's all.
Being the soccer club's manager was a good call after all, thought Aoi, listening to her friend's chatter on the phone with mild interest.
"Listen, Aoi! I'm in the clearing deep within the park's trees. It's a secret spot that I found by accident, it's super cool I'll tell ya'! You should see it! Ah, but you will though, 'cause you're going here and all, hehe. But, hmm, 'cause I'm kind of... stuck right now, my new friend are the one that's going to meet up with you! I hope you don't mind. Oh yeah, he's a guy around the same age as us. He's really tall, blue jacket, terrifying cat eye—I mean, gold! Gold eyes, and, uhm, what else-...?"
Someone snatched her bags from under her grip, shoving her consciousness back to her body.
She choked a scream.
"H-hey! What the hell?!"
On reflex, Aoi tried to snatch them back, but to no avail. Her efforr was rendered as useless annoyingly enough. The person that stole her things from her easily dwarfed her in size and they have known this fact perfectly, taking it to their advantage. They stretched their long arm upward to where she couldn't reach, making her fume.
She huffed. "What's your problem?! Give it back!"
A familiar set of golden eyes only stared her down. Daring her to make a move.
"Why should I?" The thief countered, seemingly bored.
"'Why should I'-...?!" Aoi scoffed, face utterly red. "Ugh! You're infuriating!"
He—unexpectedly—smiled. "Good."
The boy from that night that-should-not-be-remembered bristled her hair roughly, still holding on the girl's plastic bags as he takes his leave.
"By the way, I'm not going to show you where Tenma is. He... may be in trouble, I admit. But, let him handle it himself. It's his problem."
And he took off.
Aoi was left gaping yet again.
—Because Spring Breeze does not help on cooling her rage at all.
Rainy day in Summer sure is depressing, but with him around...
"You forgot to bring an umbrella too?"
The boy looks up, for once the one who was surprised finding that girl running to his side wearing a blue tank top and denim short that was drenched wet to the core. Her blue enamel bag was lifted on her head and was kept safe by two hands grip, quite the failed attenpt to play the role of a solid roof.
He quickly frowned, stopping on leaning against the bus stop and swinging his legs to the side, ready to take his leave—but her hand lurched and stopped him on his track, gripping his wrist tightly.
"I...," Aoi began, flustered. "Ano, can we... talk?"
The boy was silent, inspecting their intertwined hands distastefully and never once gives the girl the attention she had yearned. Waiting a minute for a response that never came, she sighed in defeat, letting him go.
"I'm sorry."
He sighed, looked away. "Don't be."
Aoi was so certain that the boy would have leave her by now, just like those other two times. Heck, she doesn't even know why she'd yearn for him. He's a jerk, always been to her. So why should she care about him now? Granted, he did saves her life that one time and she had heard from Tenma himself that the boy have selflessly accompany him on soccer practice this whole time, so... was it wrong to feel so pleasantly surprised when the boy that's been on her mind for majority of the time quietly took a seat on the metal chair, staying here by her side? Should she feel happy, even when his expression was obscured by his bang? Regardless, she followed suit, bag placed on her laps and fingers playing and vaintly tremble with one another.
She open her mouth and spoke:
"I heard from Tenma that you're good at soccer. Is that how you guys know each other? By playing soccer, I mean."
Her voice was barely above a whisper, it's a miracle he even heard her. Especially with the storm brewing in a not-so-distance pace from them. He responded with a shrug.
"Yeah, one day he just caught me with a ball on my feet. After that, he forces me to attend every training he had planned, either solo or with his club. He was a bother, still is, but I try to live with it."
He sounded so sincere and gentle, he surprised himself the most. Did he really enjoy his time with Tenma that much? Huh, the real question here was, was this a postitive effect or a negative? He voted for negative.
Aoi laughed, ignorant of his internal dilemma. "Yeah, he's just unique that way. I'm glad you'd stick around with him though. He may be a bother but he meant good. If you're Tenma's friend, then you're my friend too. You... don't mind with me being your friend, do you?"
He was silent, staring her deeply with those unsettling cat eyes. To the outsider, he may simply look like he doesn't care, but on the inside, he was a mess. How can this girl be so bold? was what he wanted to ask badly, but he snapped his lips shut, acting like usual: uncaring.
He snorted. "Whatever," was his vocal reply.
Aoi smiled—could she read him?—and stuck a hand out. "Friend should introduce themself first, no? Well, I'm Sorano Aoi. Pleased to meet you."
It could be her imagination, but that golden eyes seem to shine a shade brighter. The boy took her hand after a minute of digesting the situation, very much reluctant, and shook it. Drizzle of rain will forever be a reminder of this moment.
"Tsurugi," he begin. "The name's Tsurugi Kyousuke."
—Summer rain may be depressing, but his hand was so warm it made it bearable. More than bearable.
Disclaimer: Inazuma Eleven rightfully belong to Level-5, not me. Obviously.
A/N: Re-written because the first one was crap. Hope you guys enjoyed this version! This was made by the request of Shiranai Atsune. Have a nice day!